If you haven't heard, there's a major hack that has cripple the Sony corporation over the past week. A group calling itself “Guardians of Peace” (GOP) took down the company's computers, specifically in the film division. They're reportedly writing on chalkboards to keep business moving along over there, and there's even speculation that the studio is concerned that North Koreans, embittered over the Seth Rogen/James Franco film “The Interview,” are to blame. Whatever the case, and whether it's connected to the hack or not, the studio's woes continued over the holiday when a number of watermarked Sony screeners leaked online.
It's worth noting that it's the same package of films that have gone out to critics groups and guilds recently that showed up on torrent sites: “Annie,” “Fury,” “Mr. Turner” and “Still Alice.” So it's entirely possible that this was just an unfortunate occurrence tied to the screener season rather than something connected to the hack. Still, the coincidence is tough to ignore. And after all, also leaked was a 2015 film, “To Write Love On Her Arms.” So who knows…
Either way, an added dose of excitement in a season mostly bereft of it. Naturally, “Fury” is the one getting the lion's share of the downloads. But hey, if any torrenters out there decide to take the plunge on “Mr. Turner,” tell us what you thought. Pretty sweet Dick Pope photography, eh?